Jeanne Kelley is an avid cook, gardener, food stylist, and writer. A longtime contributor to food publications, she combines her talents in three cookbooks; the latest, Kitchen Garden Cookbook, is a primer for a garden of edibles, including a variety of fresh herbs waiting to be snipped from pots, window boxes, or raised beds to invigorate summer cooking.

“A big part of being a cook is sourcing your ingredients,” says Kelley, who is shown above in her kitchen herb garden. “The best ingredients are those you grow yourself. Herb gardens are beautiful with fragrant possibilities. They add wonderful flavor to food and contribute to a delightful decor in your garden.”

Kelley’s herb garden goes beyond the ubiquitous parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, bumping up the quotient of aromatics with fragrant lavender, lemon verbena, and savory. She uses their unusual flavors to round out the most basic dishes.

The forward floral flavor of lavender pairs well with honey, cheeses, baked goods, ice cream, and even chicken, perfuming a dish with a hint of the South of France. Added to vinaigrette and tossed with Cherry Tomato, Green Bean, and Wax Bean Salad, lavender gives the salad an unexpected floral burst. Toasted bread crumbs add crunch.

Lemon verbena has a fresh, citrusy quality; there’s a hint of lemon without its puckery notes. Use it to make a syrup for drinks and baked goods; thinly sliced, it brightens salads or adds spark to grilled fish or chicken. “I make Lemon Verbena Granita for a dessert I can prepare in advance,” Kelley says. “Pairing it with Limoncello Cream creates an elegant, delicately flavored combination.

“Savory is an underappreciated herb,” Kelley says of this aromatic annual. It has a slightly menthol, woodsy flavor and is often used as a summer substitute for more power-fully scented rosemary. A little bit of savory will go a long way in dressing up beef and pork. The leaves have a lot of body and stand up well to grilling, as in Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Nectarines with a Savory Rub. “This dish has a minty and slightly resinous flavor,” she says. “The savory rub brings out unexpected sweet and tart nuances in the fruit and pork combination.”

Alongside their culinary talents, consider the advantages these herbs have in the garden. A lavender border or a handsome line of potted herbs takes a kitchen garden from utilitarian to gorgeous. That’s the kind of double dipping we like.

There are many varieties of lavender; English lavender is a good culinary varietal. Check with your local nursery to find which type is best suited to your area. Lavender loves the sun, so decide whether a border or movable pots work best for you.

Lavender flowers and buds are best for cooking. Release their flavor by steeping the buds in liquid, chopping and adding to batters, or grinding and adding to sugar. Harvest lavender by cutting the stem close to the foliage. The most flavorful blossoms are those that have not completely bloomed, but are violet in color. Rubbing the buds between your fingers releases their essential oils.

Summer savory is an annual that can be started from seed or purchased at a nursery. Sow it wherever there’s plenty of sun, and water often. It will flower in late summer. Winter savory is an evergreen and prefers well-drained soil.

Both summer and winter savory can be used for cooking, each in its namesake season. Add several sprigs to cooking liquid for legumes, or chop the leaves and stir into rice or grains as they cook. Harvest savory about one-third down the stem. Remove the leaves by grasping the top of the stem and gently pulling the stem through your fingers. This method works for most stemmed herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and oregano.

This perennial does well in both cold- and warm-weather climates. In colder areas, situate it in pots (near your favorite patio chair to best enjoy the scent), and move indoors to overwinter. It enjoys full sun and well-drained soil.

Lemon verbena packs a wallop flavoring teas and syrups or infused in milk; it also pairs well with tangy ingredients. Chop the coarse leaves very fine when used fresh, or strain them out when cooked in liquids. The leaves from this plant can grow up to 4 inches; use the smaller ones for cooking. Combine finely chopped leaves with sugar, then store to create a lemon-infused sugar for baking and for syrups and teas.

Meyer lemons are tender-skinned lemons with less acid and a floral perfume. You can substitute thicker-skinned Eureka lemons in this recipe—just reduce the zest by half and cut back one tablespoon of lemon juice. Grating the zest of Meyer lemons works best with a super-sharp citrus zester.